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Seto Hi'um (TD: M4 WI4 1150m) on the south face of Chhopa Bamare (6109m) as seen from base camp. [Photo] Benjamin Billet

Benjamin Billet and John Kelley complete first ascent of Chhopa Bamare (6109m)

This past winter, from February 9 through March 3, Benjamin Billet, of France, and John Kelley, of Alaska, completed the first ascent of Chhopa Bamare (6109m) in Nepal. They summited on February 28 and named their route Seto Hi’um (TD: M4 WI4 1150m), which translates as “white snow” in Nepali. Kelley had made two previous attempts to climb the peak solo after the Nepalese government opened it for permits in 2014. “The first attempt was in December of 2017. I tried to get up the East Ridge. Made it up and over the East summit before turning back,” he told Alpinist. “The second attempt was in March of 2018. Didn’t get any farther than high camp due to snow and poor unsettled weather.” Billet told Montagnes Magazine that he met Kelley on the Internet a few months before the expedition, and that this was their first time climbing together. Billet wrote the following account for Alpinist.

The west faces of Gasherbrum IV, V, VI, and VII. The peak of Gasherbrum II is just barely visible behind the southern ridge of Gasherbrum IV. Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) is hidden behind Gasherbrum V. [Photo] Florian Ederer, Wikimedia

Fall during ski descent on Gasherbrum VII results in dramatic rescue from 6300m

On July 20 Cala Cimenti, of Italy, became the first person to stand on top of 6955-meter Gasherbrum VII. Cimenti’s elation, however, was soon cut short. His partner Francesco Cassardo–who had decided not to continue to the top in order to save strength for their ski descent–was injured in a massive fall shortly after putting his skis on to follow Cimenti down. Cassardo was ultimately rescued by helicopter at 5900 meters near Camp I on July 22 after a dramatic effort that included the Polish alpinist team of Denis Urubko, Janusz Adamski and Jaroslaw Zdanowicz, Canadian climber Don Bowie and Italian mountaineer Marco Confortola.

Mt. Mizugaki, Japan. [Photo] E64, Wikimedia

Namesake: Izumi (“The Spring”)

In this Namesake story from Alpinist 48 (2014), Katsutaka “Jumbo” Yokoyama–an original member of Japan’s famous Giri-Giri Boys, who have become known for their bold and visionary ascents–writes about the first ascent of a route he named Izumi (“The Spring”) on Mt. Mizugaki.

The east face of Mt. Fay with the line of The Sound of Silence (M8 WI5, 1100m) marked in red. [Photo] Courtesy of Ines Papert, Luka Lindic and Brette Harrington

Ines Papert, Luka Lindic and Brette Harrington complete The Sound of Silence on Mt. Fay

Luka Lindic writes about a new route he completed on the east face of Mt. Fay (3234m) in British Columbia, Canada, with Brette Harrington and Ines Papert on April 2-3. After getting lucky with weather and snow conditions they managed to find a thin line of passage up through the heart of the wall. They named their route The Sound of Silence (M8 WI5, 1100m), as a tribute to their friend Marc-Andre Leclerc, who had expressed a desire to name a route after the Simon and Garfunkel song before he died in 2018.

Derek Franz discovering just how much effort it can take to activate the Beal Escaper after a short rappel from the top of Elephant Rock. [Photo] Mandi Franz

Beal Escaper: A scary but handy tool for when you need to rappel with one rope

Alpinist Digital Editor Derek Franz tested the Beal Escaper, which the company describes as a “detachable abseil system” that enables climbers to rappel on a single strand of rope and then still be able to retrieve the rope from below. Franz reports that if used properly the Escaper can be a handy tool to facilitate a fast retreat, but he also found that the device has some limitations. Three stars.

The northwest face of Chamlang (7321m) with the line of UFO (ABO M6, WI5, 2500m) marked in red. [Photo] Zdenek Hak and Marek Holecek collection

Zdenek Hak and Marek Holecek complete the first ascent of Chamlang’s northwest face

Czech climbers Marek Holecek and Zdenek Hak teamed up for another huge, demanding route on May 16-23, this time on the northwest face of Chamlang (7321m) in Nepal. They named their route UFO Line (ABO: M6, WI5, 2500m). Holecek initially declined to give a technical rating. “We have agreed on difficulty of the climb as the hardest we have done together in the mountains, ABO in other words,” is all he wrote in his initial press release. UFO appears to be one of the only routes to be completed on the northern aspect of Chamlang, despite years of interest and attempts by top climbers.